Welcome to the ABN Blog

News, views and real perspectives.

Australian Bookkeepers Network hears from member and author Debra Anderson. This is the first installment in a four part series as Debra shares her journey in the industry. Introduction Hello, I’m Debra Anderson. I live in Sydney, and I’m a single mother to 2 children – Cassandra 14 and Max 12. I’m a “solopreneur”, bookkeeper, accountant, tax agent and MYOB Certified Consultant. When ABN Director Leanne Lewis originally asked…

In October last year, ABN posted the above message on Facebook, and it was one of our most liked and shared posts of 2015. More recently we shared the message at our 2016 Conference with the popular banner pens pictured below. Why? Not just because we wanted you to have a pen! It’s because we believe in the message. This message clearly resonates with a lot of bookkeepers, but why…

Whether you’re a seasoned conference-goer or a total newb, the following 10 tips will help you make the most of your ABN Conference experience. Before the event 1. Get Pitch Perfect. No, not the movie. The elevator pitch. You’re about to network with a few hundred industry peers—chances like that don’t come along too often. So nail that pitch! (Or crush it, if you’re a fan of Fat Amy.) 2. Stalk your speakers.…

Whether with clients, landlords, Government or competitors, disputes are a reality of commercial life. Examine the ways in which you as a bookkeeper can minimise your exposure. Background In his paper Resolving Commercial Disputes Paul J Vincent (Forensic Director of Vincent Chartered Accountants) outlines his “10 Commandments” for how professionals can avoid disputes or at least protect themselves against a bad result flowing from a dispute. We now examine how…

The 2016 Federal Budget was handed down on Tuesday 3 May. Following are some of the headline announcements that the Government intends to implement in the event that it is re-elected in the coming months. GENERAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS In mixed news for business, the Government says the economy is forecast to grow by 2.5% 2015/2016 and to remain at this rate in 2016/2017. Growth will then however accelerate to 3%…

We at Calxa recently attended a conference where Peter Thorp from ABN gave a great presentation on how the bookkeeping industry has changed over the last 10 years. Peter put up a challenge to the audience by asking bookkeepers in attendance to ponder where they thought the industry may be in 10 years time. It was great to take some time out and reflect on the changes that have occurred…